# Susku Ekim Kaya

Susku Ekim Kaya (born 9 November 1990) is a British-Turkish actress.

## Early life and career

Susku Ekim Kaya was born on 9 November 1990 in Istanbul, Turkey and later moved to London. She has studied psychology at London Metropolitan University and graduated in 2016 and meanwhile, she continued her education, she has performed in several theatre performances in many venues including the Arcola Theatre London. She also trained at the International School of Screen Acting in 3 Mills Studio and graduated in 2017 with a screening at BAFTA. She started her acting career with film Diren and has later done various roles in different films, music videos and commercials. In an interview, she mentioned that her family was supportive of her decision to start working as an actress, they discovered her interest in acting on early ages and enrolled her to receive drama education from the age of 9, and when she was in high school she attended to Kadikoy Art Education Center for theater education for one year. She has performed at Arcola Theatre in the Mahmud and Yezida: Turkish Romeo and Juliet play. She also performed in a solo play “A Woman Alone” written by Dario Fo & France Rame in 2014. In 2020, she directed a short film "Will You Be My Quarantine?" and has won awards at several festivals including Istanbul Film Awards and Europe Film Festival. In 2021, Susku Ekim Kaya has been the face of satirical campaign called "The Staunch Test “Best" campaign" that took place in London, UK. It was designed by screenwriter Bridget Lawless, who best known as the writer of the famous British TV series The Bill also the founder of the “Staunch Book Prize”, an award for thriller novels without violence to women. In 2021, she performed in the adaptation of Max Frisch's novel Bluebeard at the Barons Court Theatre.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2014 | The Dark Side of the Moon | Allison | Leading Role |
| 2015 | Diren | Hazal | Leading Role |
| 2015 | Spiralling into Nothing | Marry | Guest Role |
| 2016 | Extraterrestrial | Eve | Leading Role |
| 2017 | Secret | Gabriella | Supporting Role |
| 2020 | Snakebite | Kate | Leading Role |
| 2020 | Will You Be My Quarantine? | Su | Leading Role |
| 2021 | Couples Retreat | Allison | Supporting Role |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2014 | Good Doctor By Anton Chekhov | Nina and Olga | Leading Role |
| 2015 | Mahmud and Yezida by Murathan Mungan | Nirwan | Supporting Role |
| 2015 | A Woman Alone By Dario Fo&Franca Rame | Maria | Leading Role |
| 2021 | Bluebeard By Max Frisch | Corinne | Leading Role |

## Awards

| Year | Award | Category | Result |
| 2021 | Istanbul Film Awards (Istanbul) | Best Experimental Short | Won |
| 2021 | Istanbul Film Awards (Istanbul) | Best First Time Director | Won |
| 2021 | Istanbul Film Awards (Istanbul) | Best Film on Virus | Won |
| 2021 | Istanbul Film Awards (Istanbul) | Best Poster | Won |
| 2021 | Europe Film Festival (UK). | Best Poster | Won |
| 2021 | The NY Cat Film Festival (New York) | Best Short | Won |
| 2021 | First-Time Filmmaker Online Sessions (UK) | Best Documentary | Nominated |
| 2021 | S.O.F.A Tails Film Festival (Cyprus) | Best Short | Nominated |
| 2021 | Vesuvius International Film Festival (Italy) | Best Short COVID-19 | Nominated |
| 2021 | Kalakari Film Festival (India) | Best Film of Fest Special Award | Won |